Forget Me Or Not
by RavenSoulSister
Summary: Emmeline Vance gave up everything for a family that hated her and an accusation she didn't believe. But when her ex-fiance comes back into her life, could this be the second shot at happiness that she's always dreamed of? Rated T for mild adult themes.
1. Deep Inside Her Heart

A/N: YAY! Here we are! My first story that isn't JP/LE!

So… this is also going to be my first story without a prologue. Hope that doesn't bother anyone.

I hope you guys like it! Please Review! Cheers!

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**Forget Me… Or Not**

_By: Shay_

Chapter 1: Deep Inside Her Heart

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_June 24, 1995; Third Triwizard Task, Voldemort's Resurrection, and the Reconvening of the Order of the Phoenix._

"Vance! Into my office! Immediately!" Emmeline looked up from her paperwork, a pair of thin rectangular framed glasses perched on her slight nose. Her body slowly pivoted in the wheeled chair until she was facing Rufus Scrimgeour and where he was standing between her cubicle and his office door, looking stressed as always.

"Sir?" she answered back coolly, with a raised eyebrow. Scrimgeour ignored her stern countenance and beckoned her towards him, turning into his office and limping away with a few loud thuds. Emmeline sighed in aggravation and ran a hand through her dark curls, removing her glasses in the process and pocketing them. Pushing herself off the roll-y chair, she stood in one fluid motion and walked into the Head Auror's office, only looking at the tops of her plain black shoes as she walked. She entered and stood before the lion-like man, making eye contact with his amber eyes and being sure not to look behind him or anywhere around the office, really. She had done an excellent job, so far, at avoiding _his_ pictures. They were, after all, everywhere. Especially in Kingsley's office. She never stepped foot in there; it was like the whole wizarding world was plotting against her.

_Why couldn't he just stay put in that damn Azkaban cell?_ She thought bitterly, before she bit her lip in shame, even at the non-verbal comment.

"Vance? Vance! Are you listening to me?" Emmeline was shaken out of her daze by an aggravated Scrimgeour.

"Oh, yes, sorry sir. You were saying?" Scrimgeour growled under his breath and Emmeline fought the urge to roll her eyes. He was such a bloody drama queen sometimes.

"There's a lot of commotion down at Hogwarts-" Emmeline's ears perked at the name. Her beloved school. "-and I need you to go down and check on what's happening." Emmeline almost smiled. Hogwarts was her home, the place of beautiful innocence and wonderful adolescence. And more. So much more.

"Pardon me, sir," Emmeline cut through Scrimgeour's speech. "But why are you sending _me_? I'm not the most… _capable_ Auror." The two of them turned around to see Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the most 'capable' senior Aurors, stride by the office just on cue.

"Believe me, I know." Scrimgeour said nastily, his lips curling back into a sneer. Emmeline felt like sticking her tongue out at the man, but she had lost those childish habits years ago. "It just so happens that Dumbledore has requested you."

Emmeline froze, not daring to believe what she had just heard. "Dumbledore… me…?" she stammered in shock.

"Yes. Along with Kingsley." _Of course_, Emmeline thought with a playful roll of her eyes, "and, er, Nymphadora." Emmeline nodded slowly. It would make sense that Tonks would come along since she was the protégée of the group. But why was _she_ herself going?

"So… Hurry along. I believe your fellow Aurors are waiting for you." Emmeline knew she was being dismissed. With a swift nod of her head, she hurried from the room, almost tripping over a stray newspaper clipping in her haste, and dodging a few ministry officials to get to her cubicle. She grabbed her wand off her desk, silently reprimanding herself for leaving it there in the first place, and shook out her black robes gracefully. She swept her dark locks into a high bun over her head and turned to leave, her hands still fiddling with the strands atop her head. She paused her ministrations when she saw a bit of green cloth poking out of one her desk drawers. She blinked a few times, her expression clouding over, before her hands lowered as she slowly approached the desk. Sliding the drawer open with bated breath, she pulled out the emerald green shawl and let the smooth fabric run through her fingers. She could almost feel his breath, his touch, and his laugh as she wound the scarf around her neck, marveling at its soft texture and the warmth that immediately flooded through her body. She smiled gently as a memory came to her mind.

* * *

"_To keep you warm. Basically, whenever I'm not around." The boy said, grinning, as he slipped the shawl around her shoulders._

_"But you'll always be around, right?" the girl asked, playfully batting her lashes, but clutching the material closer to her all the same. He barked out a laugh and bent so that his forehead was touching hers._

"_Always, Em. Always."_

_

* * *

_

Emmeline snapped out of her daydream when she heard a loud crash behind her. Whirling around, she saw a guilty looking Nymphadora standing before her, trying to lift up the chair that she had toppled over. Emmeline almost laughed out loud at the girl's clumsiness. Instead she snickered under her breath as the girl flushed two shades darker after knocking down her quill holder and some papers off her desk by accident.

"Er, I just came to see if you were ready to go?" the girl asked grinning sheepishly at Emmeline's amused expression.

"It's alright. I got it," she told the younger woman, prying the papers out of her hand and collecting them together, stuffing them into the desk that the scarf had been in.

"Let's go." Emmeline said, raising an eyebrow at the girl's choice of hair color for the week. A light, almost golden blonde that flowed to her shoulders in curls. Emmeline was strongly reminded of a good friend of hers back at school; Marlene McKinnon.

"Pretty shawl." Nymphadora said, pointing at the green cloth, as the two women left the cubicle to join Kingsley. Emmeline flushed.

"Oh- yes- erm, thank you, I suppose." When the girl turned away, she quickly tucked it out of sight.

Kingsley gave the both of them a friendly smile as they rushed to his side and held onto the elevator doors to let them in. Emmeline tried to smile at him but found she could not, so instead, she busied herself with closing the snaps of her Auror vest. As soon as she had finished, and the elevator had begun its sideways descent, she looked around the tiny area and paused when she caught her reflection on the wall beside her. Her eyes widened.

There she was. But she looked tired, drawn, and mostly _old_. She didn't look like she was 34. She looked at least 45, she thought to herself. She raised a hand and ran it across the smooth surface of her cheek and under her eyes that were dull and nothing like their previous vibrant color. She had purple bags under her eyes from lack of sleep and her lips were cracked and pale and looked like they were permanently drawn into a thin frown. Self-consciously, she ran her pink tongue across her lips once, sighing in relief as they regained some of their strawberry color and smoothness. She did it a few times more, vigorously, but stopped when she realized that Nymphadora was watching her with a rather amused expression. She ducked her head with a blush. She felt hideous and disgusting, like a ghost of her former self. Hastily, she rummaged in her pockets and pulled out her framed glasses. She couldn't bear to see the sadness, the hopeless destitution in her own eyes.

_My mask_, she thought wryly as she slipped her glasses on and turned away from her reflection. Why did it matter anyway? There was no one she needed to impress, no one she needed to look good for.

As the elevator door was pried open by Kingsley, Emmeline gathered her thoughts together and strode out, head held high. Kingsley stopped near the row of Ministry entrances and nodded to the two of them. For one wild moment, Emmeline thought that she had to floo herself to Hogwarts.

"I'm going to Apparate to Hogsmeade first. Why don't you both Apparate outside of the Hog's Head?" Emmeline breathed in relief and watched as, with a loud crack, Kingsley disappeared. Emmeline turned to her blonde companion.

"Should I go first, Nymphadora?" the girl's pleasant face twisted into a frown.

"You can, as long as you don't call me that wretched name." She said with a shudder. "Just call me Tonks!" Emmeline blinked and shrugged.

"Alright, Tonks it is." She gave her a swift nod and closed her eyes, concentrating on Hogsmeade with all her strength, feeling the sudden nauseating jerk that she always felt when she Apparated. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the beautiful village that was Hogsmeade. She felt a lump rise in her throat as she spotted stores like 'The Three Broomsticks' and 'Zonko's Joke Shop'. _His_ favorites.

She spotted Kingsley a little ahead and hurried to catch up with him, lifting her robes and trotting towards him at a fast pace. Another crack was heard and she turned to see Tonks waddling down the road with a grimace.

"I hate Apparating." The girl muttered as she reached Emmeline, looking the slightest bit green in the face.

"I hadn't noticed." Emmeline joked. Tonks looked up sharply, as if she didn't believe that the woman had just said a joke. Emmeline cleared her throat and quickened her pace. It was true, though. Emmeline hadn't said a joke in… well, 13 years, really.

As soon as they caught up with Kingsley, the group walked in an awkward silence towards the enormous castle. When they were halfway there, they were met by a bumbling, bouncing Cornelius Fudge. He looked aggravated about something and kept removing his bowler hat, only to replace it on his head with a random nervous twirl of his hand. He looked up as he heard their footsteps.

"Ah! There you are! It's about time! I believe… Dumbledore… needs you in his office." Emmeline bit her lip in shame. She had, after all, slowed down the group a bit with her dawdling in her office.

"Sir, what's the reason for this? Has something gone wrong with the tournament?" Kingsley asked curiously. Emmeline and Tonks shared glances of excitement. Hogwarts had hosted the Triwizard Tournament this year.

There was a pause. "A boy has died today, Shacklebolt."

Emmeline's arm was suddenly caught in a death grip and she looked down to see Tonks gripping it with fierceness, her eyes wide.

"Merlin's beard." Kingsley muttered in a low voice.

"W-who was it, Minister?" Tonks asked softly, as if she were afraid to hear the answer.

"Cedric Diggory." Fudge bowed his head. Tonks' eyes closed and she buried her face into Emmeline's thin arm. At a loss of what to do, Emmeline patted the girl on her head awkwardly.

"Amos Diggory's son?" Emmeline questioned in a shaky voice.

"The very same." Fudge answered, looking at her curiously.

"How did this happen?" Kingsley asked, all business, though one who had spent as long with him as Emmeline had could see the fear and pain in his eyes.

"It was Harry Potter, of course." Emmeline's head shot up at the name. "He appears with the Triwizard Cup, clutching onto it and the boy's body, muttering things like a mad man."

"What was he saying, sir?" Emmeline dared to ask. Fudge shot her another curious glance.

"He said… that You-Know-Who is back."

There were three synchronized gasps from the Aurors. Tonks was cutting off all blood circulation from Emmeline's arm.

Emmeline's other hand flew up to cover her gaping mouth. She shook her head in disbelief and fear.

"No… No, It can't be..."

"Exactly!" Fudge said irritably. "It can't be! The boy is obviously under some sort of confundus charm! Or he's as loony as that- _that Barty Crouch Jr.!_"

"Barty Crouch Jr. is dead." Kingsley said slowly. Emmeline wondered if the Minister was the one who was turning loopy.

"Well, he might as well be now, with the Dementor's kiss and all!" Emmeline felt a shudder rise through her as he spoke of the Dementor's but she regained her composure and exchanged a confused look with Kingsley.

"Sir-"

"And Dumbledore! For goodness sake, Dumbledore actually believes the boy!" Emmeline was about to interrupt and say that she believed him too but upon seeing Fudge's portly figure trembling with rage, she decided against it.

They had reached the gates of Hogwarts. Fudge took out his wand and muttered a few spells under his breath so that the gates opened, welcoming their past students graciously. For a moment, Emmeline forgot about everything as she stepped through the gates, feeling like a student all over again. Fudge turned away from them but turned back when Kingsley asked him is he wasn't going to stay.

"Can't, good man. Need to settle things at the Ministry. Can't have any false rumors circulating, can we?" He winked at the trio while Emmeline watched in disbelief.

_False rumors? The idiot…_

"See you Shacklebolt… Tonks… And…" he looked at Emmeline with the same confused expression he had used twice before and she sighed. Of course, he wouldn't know who she was.

"Emmeline Vance, sir." She told him, privately wondering how a duffer like him ever became Minister.

"Right, Vance. I'll be seeing you all at work soon enough." He tipped his cap at them and bustled off.

Emmeline watched his stout figure leave before directing all her attention to Kingsley as he cleared his throat.

"We should probably make a move on." He told them.

They passed the mangled maze, previously a Quidditch field, and the dark shadowy grounds of Hogwarts. Tonks had finally released Emmeline's arm and was looking around the school with awe in her red-rimmed eyes. They reached the entrance and Emmeline looked around. She supposed that all the students had been escorted to their respective quarters. She smiled to herself as she remembered her own Ravenclaw common room, with its riddling raven knocker and the beautiful midnight blue common room.

Hogwarts was the one place she would never forget and it would never cease to be her first home where she was actually loved and considered as family. She could almost see her friends laughing and walking to class as she passed familiar places from her memories.

As soon as they reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office, she allowed her mind to go blank, awaiting the news from the Headmaster himself. Emmeline's lips twisted up a little bit as she mentally called him 'Headmaster'. It had been a while since she had addressed him as such.

"Lemon Drop." Kingsley said in his deep voice and the gargoyle sprung to life, allowing them access. They knocked on Dumbledore's office door and heard the pleasant but tired sounding voice of the man himself.

"Yes, come in."

Kingsley pushed the door open gently and smiled before opening it wider and letting all three of them walk into the circular office, looking like a rather impressive trio. Emmeline looked around the office wondering when she had been in here last.

"Welcome," Dumbledore said, standing at once and smiling at them. There was something wrong about his smile, Emmeline realized immediately. It was forced and tired and almost… sad. His clear blue eyes didn't twinkle as he told them to take a seat, waving his wand and conjuring a chair where Tonks could sit as well. Emmeline watched him with cautious fear as he ran a hand over his face before letting it fall onto his desk with a muted thud.

"I suppose you heard from the Minister."

Emmeline opened her mouth to ask how he knew but thought better of it and closed her mouth just as fast, with an inaudible snap.

"Not the way I wanted you to hear." Dumbledore confessed. "But it will have to do. And it is true, I'm afraid. Voldemort has returned."

At the statement, Kingsley straightened in his seat, alert, and Tonks bowed her head. Emmeline remained stoic, staring straight at Dumbledore with poorly disguised fear and worry. She could feel her breath coming in shallow breaths.

"I believe you and Harry, sir." She blurted out, and then flushed slightly, looking into her lap. She could hear the soft soothing chuckles of Dumbledore and she almost smiled.

"Thank you, Ms. Vance. That certainly is reassuring." She looked up at him through her lashes and her smiled lightly at her, his eyes probing, as if he could read every thought going through her head at the moment. A smile twitched at the corner of her lips. He had called her Ms. Vance. She felt young again. Like she could return to the Ravenclaw common room right this second and play a round of exploding snap with Dorcas Meadowes. But she knew it was all her imagination.

"So you know what this means." Dumbledore said, looking around at the group before him.

"…The Order." Emmeline whispered, finally understanding her purpose for being there. Dumbledore turned to her sharply.

"Precisely," he said with a wry smile. "The Order of the Phoenix must be, once again, put into action." He turned to Tonks and gave the younger woman a kind smile. "I trust you know what it is."

"Yes sir." She said, nodding. He smiled and addressed the group at large.

"It is our job to protect the wizarding world from the terror that is Lord Voldemort. People will die-" at this, his eyes swiftly connected with Emmeline's for a second and she bowed her head, feeling wetness in her eyes, even after more than 13 years. "-so this association is not for the faint-hearted." He smiled as if he were saying some private joke and continued. "We will have regular meetings. You are our eyes at the Ministry. Bringing us information from inside the walls of the Ministry itself. Such as, whereabouts of Death Eaters… Harry has named a few…" Emmeline gulped; she awaited the names. "Crabbe, Macnair, Goyle…"

"Avery, sir?" Kingsley asked, catching on and naming those who were previously loyal to the Dark Lord. He searched Dumbledore's face intently. Dumbledore nodded absentmindedly.

"Yes, yes, Avery… Malfoy…"

"What about Sirius Black?" Emmeline's breath caught as she froze in her seat, feeling her pulse jump. Tension rose in the room as Dumbledore quickly made eye contact with Tonks, who had asked the question, before turning his piercing gaze upon Emmeline. She swallowed with difficulty and she could see the knowing look in Dumbledore's eyes. She felt overwhelmed as she waited with bated breath for his answer.

"Sirius Black… is innocent."

_Innocent… Innocent… Innocent…_

The word rang through Emmeline's head as her vision began to fuzz. She sank in her seat and slid off the end of her chair so that her knees made contact with the ground. She brought her forehead down and tried breathing deeply. She felt Tonks' worried hands upon her back and Kingsley's alarm at her reaction. She couldn't breath. She was drowning in her sadness, her fear, and her guilt…

_Sirius Black… is innocent._

_

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_

A/N: So, Review, peeps! Hope you liked it :)

Oh and, Italics usually means a memory. Usually.


	2. The Woes Of A Pureblood Mother

**Forget Me… Or Not**

_By: Shay_

Chapter 2: The Woes Of A Pureblood Mother

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_June 25, 1995; The Day after the Order's Reconvening, trip down Memory Lane, and tea with Annelise. _

"It's the stress, Albus, I'm sure it is. She's such a strong woman, usually. I would know, I've worked with her for years."

Kingsley's words hadn't done anything because both Emmeline and Dumbledore knew why she had made that embarrassing fall to the ground.

Tonks had been a kind soul and Emmeline had never been more thankful for her presence than then. She had offered to take the woman home and help her relax a bit. Emmeline had agreed to the fist but she assured the younger woman that she would be fine once when she was in bed, under the covers. Tonks had relented.

But as soon as Emmeline got under the covers, her mind went into overdrive and the memories that had been threatening to spill out for over 13 years. They flew at her like avenging demons, attacking her mind and her heart.

And that's when the tears started.

* * *

_Emmeline was not one to complain about her appearance._

_Growing up around her vain older sister, Isabelle, who would have nothing to do with her, and her younger sister, Carlotta, who was just as snobby as the eldest, she had learned not to put much emphasis into appearances. You would just disappoint all those around you whenever you tried._

_Her sisters were beautiful girls; most claimed that Isabelle was the lovelier of the two with her seductively lidded eyes, so like their mother's. _

_But Emmeline was so… different._

_Her sisters looked extremely similar, with their chocolate hair, spun with gold, and their bright green eyes. Emmeline was anything but._

_She had the darkest brown hair imaginable, almost black -and it certainly looked so in the dark-, and electrifying blue eyes._

_But Emmeline had never cared for her appearance. Until she had come to Hogwarts, that is._

_Here, her first year being at the stunning magical castle located in the middle of nowhere (or some remote location in Scotland), she felt inferior. She felt beneath everyone. Literally._

_She loathed being short, that is._

_Her dorm mates and everyone she had met had been a good few inches taller than her, at least. It was making her rather angry, to be honest. It was already tough adapting to a new school, a new home, without being called names like 'midget' and 'dwarf' behind her back._

_Currently, Emmeline was frustrated with life. And at the moment, late for an important appointment. Well, two. You see, she had to choose between Charms Club and Quidditch tryouts. Being a self-proclaimed nerd, she was leaning towards the former._

_She was running down the hallway, away from the Ravenclaw Common Room, in pursuit of Flitwick's classroom where the Charms Club meeting was to be held. Muttering angry profanities under her breath (the neighborhood boys taught her a lot), she searched through her bag for her wand. Instead of finding what she needed, she felt her body running into a solid warm wall. She collapsed to the floor from the power of the collision and landed on her backside, her hands catching her fall, so that she looked like a crab._

"_Agh!" she cried out, rubbing her head. She heard the soft sound of someone clearing their throat.. Emmeline froze for a second, before cautiously peeking over the top of her kneecaps. Two pant-clothed legs stood before her. She let her gaze run up the legs till they reached the person's face. She blinked._

_It was a boy. Her age, possibly a bit older. Immediately, a smile took over her face._

"_I-I'm sorry." She stuttered shyly, smiling up at him bashfully. He merely watched her, his hands in his pockets, his eyes as cold as steel. "I didn't mean to do that. I was just… late to… something." He continued to stare at her unabashedly, as if deciding what to do with her. Finally, he brought one hand out of his pocket and offered it to her to take. She grinned gratefully and grasped it, feeling him lift her up like a handkerchief of some sort off the floor._

_She released his hand and brushed down her skirt carefully. When she looked up, he was still observing her. "What?"_

"_What year are you in?" he asked. He had a soft voice, like honey and butter, but dangerously silky. In fact, everything about him screamed dangerous, from the way he held himself, to the look of stony arrogance that was practically engraved into his features. In fact, she felt as though she had seen him, or his type, before._

"_Erm, first." Emmeline answered back hesitantly. She had only been here for around 3 weeks and she was still rather shy. Of course, she had never expected this much attention from someone who looked like… well, this boy._

_As she continued to contemplate where she had spotted the boy, he raised his hand to shake hers and allowed the smallest of smiles to grace his lips._

"_Black. Sirius Black. Second year." She widened her eyes in recognition. First of all, she knew where she had seen this boy. This was the same boy that all her dorm mates and all the girls in the years above giggled about and spoke of with fluttering lashes and blushing cheeks. This was the boy who was a heartbreaker without even trying. She had seen him at lunch, sitting with his mates at the Gryffindor table._

_Second, Emmeline also realized that this was the boy her mother wanted her to marry._

_The boy's gray eyes widened, and she blushed, cringing. She had said the last part out loud._

"_Married? What?"_

"_Yea? What's this about getting married?" Turning the corner was notorious prankster and best-friend of the boy before her, James Potter. He raised a dark brow and took in the sight before him; Emmeline, her cheeks pink, not having yet recovered from her slipup, and Sirius, his hand still raised out in front of him. As James' eyes lingered on his hand in amusement, he dropped it like it was burnt and proceeded to stuff it into his pocket. He glared at his shoes in embarrassment. _

_Emmeline's eyes darted back to the bespectacled boy, only to find him watching her with giddy excitement, like she was a new toy in a store. His grin widened when one of her feet unconsciously stepped back._

_She had to admit, they were a menacing pair. Much taller than the likes of her, and fairly built, in a lean way. She felt she had to watch her step._

"_Sirius? What's this about marriage?" James repeated, never taking his dark eyes off of the girl before him, like a lion waiting to pounce on a raven. Emmeline gulped at her own analogy._

_There was a pause._

"_I'm not getting married to that… that pipsqueak."_

_Emmeline turned to him, thoroughly offended, but mentally shrunk back at his cold glare._

"_Of course not, mate. We should show her who rules this school."_

"_Erm, I already know who. That would be Dumbledore," Emmeline interjected nervously. The boys exchanged glances, before James began roaring with uproarious laughter, sounding, truthfully, like a growling lion. Sirius' lips merely twitched._

"_You've been wanting to test out that bubble prank for days, haven't you? Go on." Sirius began, stepping back and smirking at Emmeline, who had never felt to alone, so open, so… vulnerable, in the presence of upperclassmen._

_Just as she was about to turn and sprint back to her common room as fast as her little legs could take her, a loud shriek resounded down the hallway. She looked past the two boys, who had frozen at the voice and then proceeded to turn slowly and guiltily, looking into the eyes of an enraged redhead._

"_You two!" the girl huffed, storming towards the group, her feet making stomping sound against the stone. "You'll never mature!" She stopped before the group, her hands on her hips, looking like an imposing figure. Emmeline gaped._

_The girl was… beautiful._

_She had soft looking hair, a deep wine red that tumbled down her back, past her shoulders. Her features were delicate and small, except for her large eyes and her lips were the rosiest color Emmeline had ever seen. She was immediately envious of the beauty._

"_Leave her alone, Potter, Black." While Sirius leaned back against the wall, looking bored, seemingly immune to the girl's stunning looks, James was apparently, not so indifferent. His eyes raked across her face like he couldn't get enough of her and he looked like he was trying to attempt to look cool in front of the girl._

"_Evans!" he said, his hand jumping to his hair. "We were just having some fun… honestly… ask the midget here." He gestured to Emmeline carelessly, not even caring to look in her direction. She scrunched her nose at him._

"_Grow up, will you?" the ginger hissed, striding around him towards Emmeline, her harsh features evaporating with every step she took. As soon as she stopped in front of the dark-haired girl, Emmeline realized that this girl had the kindest face she had ever seen. She was also short, just as short as Emmeline herself, but carried herself in a way that suggested confidence and height._

"_Hello." She said kindly, softly. Emmeline realized she was trembling and willed herself to stop. "Its ok. They won't be mean to you anymore, will they?" she turned to shoot a glare at the two boys. James made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking moody. Sirius merely stared at Emmeline. She shivered under his cutting gaze. Looking away, she looked straight into the pretty girl's eyes. They were a bright green, like her sisters' and her mother's, but they had something her family's lacked. They were intelligent and kind and they smiled at her as if happy with what they saw. Emmeline smiled back slowly._

"_Come along now." The redhead said, tucking Emmeline under her arm. "I'm Lily, by the way. Lily Evans."_

"_Charms club president?" Emmeline squeaked, speaking for the first time in a while. Lily chuckled._

"_Yes, that's right. Why do you ask? Are you planning on joining the club?" _

_As Lily and Emmeline walked off, chatting amicably, Emmeline turned once to look behind her, only to see Sirius Black watching her go. She felt his piercing eyes upon her back, all the way down the hallway, till they exited._

_

* * *

_

She brought the saucer to her lips and sipped. She was grateful for something to do with her hands. This was how she usually was when it came to tea with Annelise. They had nothing to say to one another, and merely met because of obligations.

No, not of mother-daughter obligations to one another. Pureblood society obligations.

And yes, Annelise was her mother.

The woman was watching her with her feline eyes as she took her own sip of steaming drink. She scrutinized the girl before her, her gaze running up and down her figure. She sighed into her cup and set down the drink, looking at Emmeline's jeans and blouse with disdain.

"Emmeline, you are a pureblood witch from the House of Vance! How many times have I told you not to wear those shabby muggle clothes? What would our peers say?"

_Um… how about, who the hell cares?_ Emmeline thought bitterly. She never voiced her thought in front of Annelise. Instead, she played the good girl, listening to whatever it was she was told.

"Annelise, they don't care how I dress as long as I bring in the proper news and capture the proper people." Annelise scrunched up her carefully powdered nose.

"When will you quit that job, Emmeline? I have never understood how that field has appealed to you so much." She tucked a lightly curled strand of black hair behind her ears and stared morosely at her daughter, the self-proclaimed failure of the family.

"It just has." Emmeline said shortly. She took a deep breath. "Erm, how are you, anyway?"

Annelise wrung her barely wrinkled hands together. For a woman of 60, she didn't look a day above 45. Unlike her daughter who looked older than her and worn out, Emmeline thought.

"Oh, I've been dreadful. You know Carmenita? You used to play with her daughter, Agnes." _Oh, I remember that little brat…_ "Apparently, her youngest one, Rosella, married this spring! And I just thought to myself, oh, how wondrous it'd be to attend a wedding, possibly _your_ wedding…" Emmeline closed her eyes. She knew this had been coming. Every time she visited Annelise, it was a subject that just had to be touched upon.

"When are you getting married, my child? You are 34, far past the acceptable age for a single woman. People talk, you know. They say the most horrible things." Emmeline couldn't care less what those shallow purebloods said about her. "They say… you were… raped…" she whispered the word. "They say you were… in love with a muggle…" Annelise shuddered and Emmeline's eyes shot up to meet hers.

"I was certainly never in love with a muggle, even though there's nothing wrong with that, mind you." Annelise opened her heavily made up lips to interrupt to Emmeline stopped her. "But you know as well as I do that I was… in love."

"Oh that." Annelise breathed, waving her hand carelessly. "Puppy love."

"It wasn't." Emmeline retorted between gritted teeth, her hands clenching in her lap. "Not at all." Annelise, took her tea cup in her hands once more and took a giant gulp. She stared intensely at her daughter.

"You were kids. You made foolish mistakes. He was a wrong choice for all of us and I should have known. That is why I graciously forgave you and-"

"_You are not the one who should be doing the forgiving!"_ Emmeline hissed. She leaned back in her seat, startled with herself. Annelise just watched her through her lidded, cold eyes. As if she had been expecting her to crack…

"I… I'm sorry." Emmeline whispered, feeling anything but.

"Your apology is accepted." Annelise said coolly in a formal voice. Emmeline felt white-hot anger surge through her, but she ignored it. This was her mother. No matter what, she wanted the best for her daughter, she knew that. "I really should be going…"

"Oh. Of course." Annelise began with awkward regality, standing from her seat and gesturing to the walkway that led back inside the house. They had been sitting in the freshly kept garden, courtesy of the Vance fortune that Edward Vance had left after his deeply mourned death, so many years ago; The fortune that was almost spent, that would soon be leaving Annelise, and her oldest, Isabelle, in a state of destitute. Emmeline knew that in time, they would come seeking her for money. But for now, she lived in peace, with Carlotta married and out of the way, and Emmeline herself living so far from Italy, where all the Vance family was, and its inhabitants.

"One more thing." Annelise stopped her, lifting up her robes and striding into the sitting room. Annelise was definitely a beautiful woman. Powerfully so.

She returned with a package in her hands and handed to Emmeline without as much as a smile. Emmeline took at from her grasp cautiously and stared down at the paper that wrapped around a lumpy parcel. She looked up to see Annelise watching her expectantly.

"Well. Open it." Emmeline immediately tore off the parcel's brown covering and pulled out the navy blue cloak that was inside. She pulled it to her body and draped it over her arm. She looked up at Annelise, her throat constricted.

"Th-Thank you." Annelise nodded.

"Please wear it. It was mine many years ago. Its in much better condition than your ugly muggle clothing, anyway." Emmeline nodded, swinging the material around her shoulders and clasping it around her neck, it flowed beautifully from her thin shoulders to her feet and a smile twitched at her lips as she ran her finger over the silky material.

"Thanks… mum." She Apparated out of the room without another glance at her mother, but her heart swelled. Annelise had ruined her life. Yet, she kept seeking the woman's approval.

_I am so stupid._

* * *

_Things had changed in the life of Emmeline Vance. She was older, more mature, certainly not as shy as she had been, and tall. Boy, was she tall._

_Girls envied her height, telling her she looked like a model or an actress. She, herself, loved it. Being tall gave her a confidence that being short never would have offered. Sure, people often stared at her, but she didn't care. She took it in her stride._

_Her best friends Dorcas Meadowes, Rory Delaine, Marlene McKinnon, and Lily Evans, (the former two being in the year above) were completely envious. The whole lot of them were tiny and petite, another form of prettiness, Emmeline believed, but one that didn't suit her._

_But, the best change in Emmeline's life was that Annelise had stopped pestering Emmeline about Sirius Black._

_The day Emmeline had returned from school after her first year, she had been bombarded with questions, not about her well-being or what they taught at the school, but questions about Sirius Black, Sirius Black, and more Sirius Black._

_Apparently, Lady Walburga Black, as Emmeline was required to address her, was keen on having Emmeline as her daughter-in-law, as keen as Annelise was on giving her away to the same person. 'They are the most respectable pureblood family in England! Their son, though he is a… Gryffindor *cue the disgusted sniff*… he is still a Black. And a handsome, rich one at that.'_

_And so, after every year of schooling, Emmeline awaited the interrogation that would happen. _Has Mr. Black's appearance changed much? Has Mr. Black asked you on a date yet?_ Emmeline's head spun from all the talk about Sirius Black. Until last summer, that is._

_Apparently, Sirius had run away from home the summer after his 5__th__ year and summer before Emmeline's. He had run to the Potters', another respectable pureblood family, but one that was much less… well, Slytherin-ized. _

_So around mid-August, Annelise had mournfully walked into Emmeline's bedroom and informed her that any plans for an engagement were off, as Sirius was a no good scoundrel who left Walburga mourning the loss of her heir and eldest son._

_Emmeline had just rolled her eyes heavily._

_5__th__ year was starting out more difficult than ever. Emmeline was having a love-hate relationship with this year so far. Being a Ravenclaw, she didn't mind the workload, and usually got her work done earlier than most, but it was admittedly getting more difficult to have fun, relaxing times with her friends. She had just left Dorcas Meadowes, Rory Delaine, and Beatrice Crass, her dorm mates and friends, at the Ravenclaw table for lunch, in order to begin her attack upon the foot long essay Professor McGonagall had assigned them. She brushed her chin length dark curls behind one ear and blew her fringe off her face. Just as she was about to turn into a hallway, a heavy body hurtled around the corner and collided with hers._

"_Oof!" She fell back onto her backside and grimaced in pain._

"_Well, well…" a silky smooth voice spoke. Emmeline froze. "Why does this seem so familiar to me?" Emmeline slowly let her gaze run up the speaker's legs, till they passed his broad chest and reached his face which was twisted into a cool smirk._

_Sirius Black._

"_Nice to see you too." Emmeline said, rolling her eyes. She placed her palms on the ground, ready to lift herself up, when a large manly hand appeared in front of her eyes. She gazed at it, and her eyes connected with stormy gray once more._

_He shrugged. Smiling, she took his outstretched hand and stumbled to her feet, surprised by his strength when he lifted her with ease, just as he did many years ago._

"_Thanks." She said, tucking a chocolate curl behind one ear and giving him a dazzling smile. As she made to move past him, he stretched out his arm, blocking her path._

"_You never did tell me your name." He confessed, searching her eyes. She raised a dark eyebrow at him._

"_Emmeline Vance." She said, wondering why he was even taking the time to talk to her. Perhaps, the bubble prank he had planned years ago was going to be in effect? The thought spurred her into action and she walked past him, giving him a hurried smile._

_But she wasn't in luck. She heard his footsteps following her._

"_Wait- erm- Emmeline!" she allowed herself to slow down._

_Just see what he wants, she told herself. He stopped in front of her, looking sheepish._

"_Are-are you angry?" he questioned. Her brows furrowed in befuddlement._

"_Me? For what?" he ducked his head._

"_For, you know, all those years ago outside the Ravenclaw Common Room." She bit back smile._

"_I really don't care, Sirius."_

"_Oh. Good." He awkwardly shuffled his feet against the stone floor. Emmeline took this time to examine his features with care. She hadn't been in such close proximity of him since… well, first year._

_He really was one of the handsomest boys in the school. He had a distinctively attractive face, aristocratic and beautiful. High cheekbones, much like her own, a strong, firm jaw and a classic straight nose. She could see exactly what all those girls admired in him. His dark hair fell just below his ears, floppy, but elegantly so, and he had wide gray eyes that made him appear cold, indifferent, and sensual all at the same time._

_She felt increasingly aware of his good looks the longer she stayed in his presence. He had an appeal that made him different from other guys and she was starting to see that._

"_I… should get going now." He looked up and blinked, before recovering with a raised brow._

"_Of course you should." He winked playfully. "Hot date?"_

"_At the library, with a few old transfiguration textbooks, yea." She joked._

_He grinned, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth. She smiled back instantly._

_As she turned to go, she felt his slender fingers enclose around her wrist. Her heart jumped._

"_One more thing. Does your mom still want you to marry me?" He was still smiling, but his eyes held a seriousness that showed he was concerned about the answer._

"_No." she said. "No, definitely not."_

_Instead of nodding, joking about being disappointed, or making any sort of normal reaction, his grin widened as he spoke. "Excellent."_

_

* * *

_

_June 27, 1995; Monday, A normal Day at Work, and the Order's first task announced._

Emmeline sipped her non-alcoholic pick-me-up as she searched in her cabinet for a quill.

"Aha." She muttered as she pulled out her Scrivenshaft's quill "There you are, tricky little blighter." Scratching some notes about Bulgaria's Auror program onto the paper, she sighed and scratched her chin with her quill in thought.

"Emma! Emmeline! I have some news!" Tonks strode into the office, looking bright and pleasantly disheveled with messy golden hair and happy smile. The smile faded as she spoke of why she was there.

"Our first job for the Order is to find all information about Lucius Malfoy and his relation with the minister." Emmeline nodded, her eyes darting to the entrance of her cubicle swiftly before returning to Tonks' worried face.

"Right. We can do that. He comes her every bloody day for tea and treacle tart with Fudge." Emmeline said, rolling her blue eyes. Tonks laughed.

"Too true. Also, Dumbledore asked me to tell you that the first Order meeting is tomorrow night." Emmeline's eyes widened.

"Really? Where is it?"

"Number 12… Grimmauld Place? Yes, that's it, I believe. He told me you must memorize that."

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place… Number 12 Grimmauld Place…_ "Got it."

"Ok." Tonks hesitated before beaming happily and plopping herself onto Emmeline's desk. "I think we're finally meeting the other Order members tomorrow!" Emmeline nodded absentmindedly. It would be a blast from the past. She could name people she would expect to see, but could count the ones she had interacted with on one hand.

"You know what I think?" Tonks leaned in for emphasis, beckoning Emmeline closer. "I think that _Sirius Black_ will be there too!"

Emmeline promptly began choking on her pick-me-up.

"It's going to be so interesting, seeing him there." Tonks said dazedly, thumping the older woman on the back. "The Man Who Was Always Innocent." She giggled at her self-made up title.

"Are you- are you sure?" Emmeline choked out, her eyes smarting.

"Quite!" Tonks answered cheerfully. "Atleast, that's what Kingsley told me."

"Kingsley told you?" Emmeline asked, her eyes bugging out. "Then it _must_ be true."

"Yes… aren't you excited? He's practically a legend. Imagine, living in that cell… knowing that you're innocent… it must have been the most dreadful thing." Emmeline closed her eyes in agony and a tear slipped out, rolling down her cheek and out of sight. Tonks, who was blabbering away, didn't notice.

"Listen, Tonks, can you tell Dumbledore that I won't be able to make it tomorrow?"

Tonks stared at Emmeline skeptically. "I would tell him… if I wanted to be shanked. What's your excuse, anyway?"

Emmeline's eyes searched her office, stopping at a picture of Carlotta and her husband. She smiled wryly.

"I have to visit my sister. She…er… she's not very forgiving. She'll never forgive me if I didn't show up."

Tonks watched her for a second longer before sighing and jumping off her desk.

"Alright. But you'll be missing out. I bet Sirius Black will be answering everyone's questions tomorrow!"

And that was what she was afraid of. Anyway, she needed more time. To get used to the idea of him. To get used to him being… thrown back into her world.

"I'll live." Emmeline assured her, trying to smile. But of course, it failed. She never smiled anymore.

"Right." Tonks said, nodding, already moving towards the cubicle entrance.

"Oh and one last thing." Emmeline turned and raised an eyebrow in question.

"We have to fill your office with pictures of Sirius Black. You know, so nobody suspects anything."

Emmeline knocked over her pick-me-up with a gasp.

* * *

Review?


	3. Surprises

A/N: Please review! I'll try to update as soon as possible.

Campanula1979- Huh… that's curious. I actually didn't know about the Secret Keeper thing. Well, I'll incorporate it in, I suppose. Thanks for the information :)

Thank you for reviewing; soshi78, lovin potter, cld211, and campanula1979!

Cheers! And Review, please!

* * *

**Forget Me… Or Not**

_By: Shay_

Chapter 3: Surprises

* * *

_June 28, 1995; First Order Meeting, the Surprise Visit to Carlotta's, and Him._

"Emmeline?"

Emmeline lips twitched into an anxious smile at the look on her sister's face.

"Emmeline, what the hell are you doing on my doorstep?"

Well. Carlotta had always had a way of being extremely straightforward.

"Er… Surprise?"

Carlotta's jade eyes narrowed in suspicion and focused on the wrapped lump that Emmeline was clutching in her right hand. Emmeline lifted it up slightly.

"I brought some Christmas cake!"

"…It's the middle of the summer."

"It's all I know how to make." Emmeline admitted sheepishly, her ears burning with embarrassment. "May I come in?"

Carlotta released a drawn-out sigh and opened the door a crack wider. "For a bit, I suppose."

"Right. Thanks, Lottie."

"Don't call me that." Carlotta snapped as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

"_What's that you're reading?" Emmeline's strawberry lips immediately curved upward into a light smile. He was here. Again._

_She looked up from her book and grinned at the handsome 6__th__ year who had haphazardly thrown himself into the seat in front of hers and was smiling widely at her. He had taken to visiting her at the library on rare occasions just to speak and sometimes, she found out, watch her read. It was very distracting having one of the best looking boys Emma had ever seen watching her while she attempted to dig her way through piles of Transfiguration and Charms._

"_Just a book I found. On great witches of the 19__th__ century."_

_Sirius wrinkled his nose. "A feminist, are you?"_

"_A little bit." Emmeline admitted. She flipped a few pages and smoothed out a dog-ear. "I hate when people dog-ear their pages."_

"_I do it all the time." Sirius said loudly, throwing his feet onto the library table._

_Emmeline narrowed her eyes at him. "You would."_

"_So tell me, Emma. I can call you Emma, right?" Emmeline nodded unsurely, biting her lip. Only her closest friends called her Emma. "What do you find so fascinating about this book?"_

"_Well, the history! And the accomplishments that these women made! I was reading another book and- a woman created Floo Powder, did you know?"_

"_Hmm. That must be the only example you have of women doing something for the wizarding world." Sirius grinned impishly as Emmeline glared at him._

"_Don't be so chauvinistic, Sirius. Here look at this." She flipped a few pages in her book and cleared her throat, reading out loud. "Minister Artemisia Lufkin (__1754__—__1825__) was the first __witch__ to become __Minister for Magic__ of __Britain__. She was in post between __1798__ and __1811__. It is most likely that after her appointment several of the oldest __Wizengamot__ wizards stepped out of their positions in protest." She looked into Sirius' amused face. "So, basically the Winzengamot was made up of a bunch of nutters like you, Sirius."_

_Sirius snickered._

"_I'm not the only one with that opinion. I'm sure there's a good many people who'll tell you the same thing. Even James would, I'm positive."_

"_Well, you both are pigs, then." Emmeline said airily, rising from her chair and floating over to the bookshelves to re-shelf the book. Sirius trotted along behind her._

"_I suppose women are good for some things…." Sirius began suggestively._

"_Don't you dare finish that thought, Black." Emmeline scolded. "You are so perverse sometimes."_

"_I know." Sirius said, leaning against the bookshelf next to Emmeline, his arms crossed over his lean chest. "It's a gift."_

"_I disagree, sir." Emmeline said. _

"_You would." Sirius mocked. Emmeline rolled her eyes._

"_Hey Sirius…."_

"_Hmm?" he asked._

"_Why are you even talking to me? Why are you… paying me so much attention?"_

"_Because I like you." Sirius said with a shrug. Emmeline's heart stopped in her chest for a moment, before she shook the feeling off with a low chuckle._

_"Right." She said sarcastically. "Anyway, I'd better get going." Sirius wouldn't like someone like her. He was like a god in this school. He never ever paid attention to any other girl before… why would he care for her? She was just… nothing. "I'll see you around."_

_She felt his eyes on her back, just like always._

_

* * *

_

Carlotta's cold green eyes never left her sister; even as she stirred her drink, she continued to stare speculatively. Emmeline cleared her throat.

"How are you, Lottie?"

"Stop calling me that."

"Right, sorry." Emmeline fumbled for words, completely at a loss. She was saved, however, by a tall golden haired figure that entered the room and froze upon seeing her. A grin, brighter than the sun, stretched across his round, childish face.

"Emmeline, is that you?" Emmeline's lips twitched weakly.

"Hello Manuel." She greeted her brother-in-law. Standing up to greet him, she was shocked when he lifted her into a tight, friendly embrace, laughing joyfully. He spun her around once.

"Well, don't you look pretty! Where've you been?" He set her down and glanced surreptitiously at his wife. She was glaring at them violently.

"I've been around. How are the kids?"

"They're both great. Gone to school, you know. Hogwarts." Emmeline smiled sadly at the name.

"That's great…" Both of their eyes flickered to Carlotta. She sipped from her drink, her lashes dark against her skin as she looked into the cup.

Manuel cleared his throat, his black eyes strange under the dim light of the room.

"I'd best be on my way. Work, you know?" Emmeline smiled in understanding.

"Go ahead." She urged, lightly touching his arm as he passed her on his way out. Carlotta watched the scene before her and once Manuel had left, gazed at her sister with a frosty expression.

"Why'd you come, Emmeline?"

"Right." Emmeline began awkwardly. She sat down on the couch once more.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing… update you about things…"

Carlotta raised a light brow. "And you come after ten years?"

Emmeline examined her fingers with growing interest. "It's been… tough."

Carlotta smirked.

Emmeline suddenly felt the need to tell her about _him_. "So. Remember the news a year ago? Erm… Sirius Black-" her insides jumped "-escaped from Azkaban?"

"So?" Carlotta began, her pencil thin eyebrow raised.

"_So_. It turns out he's innocent. I was right all along." _And I was wrong_, she added in her head, mournfully. _Boy was I wrong._

"So basically, you came here to say 'I told you so'?" Carlotta asked coolly. Her eyes never strayed from her drink.

"No, no of course no-"

"And… you thought that I'd cry over the fact that he's back in your life and now you can live happily ever after?"

Emmeline was stunned. "No, I never thought th-"

"Good." Carlotta looked up from her cup, her eyes full of scorn. "If this is what you came to tell me, no, _rub in my face_, I suggest you leave immediately."

Emmeline was startled by the sudden burst of venom in her younger sister's voice.

"But, Carlotta, I-"

"Please! Leave! You're presence is upsetting me. Let's stop pretending we actually care about each other." Carlotta gestured to the door with her thin hand, her eyes already closed off and ready for the departure of her failure of a sister.

Emmeline stood up shakily, her knees wobbling. She hadn't been expecting this at all. What was happening? What had been a pleasant relationship with her sister had turned into a disastrous one. Did nobody in the world care anymore? Emmeline pressed her lips together and nodded, walking to the door and opening it with a shaky hand.

"Oh, and Emmeline." Carlotta's cold voice was heard behind her. Emmeline didn't turn. "If I were him, I'd never ever forgive you for deserting me for _13 whole years_. So good luck on that happy ever after of yours." The door slammed shut and Emmeline was left alone out in the street, on her sister's doorstep, crying her eyes out.

* * *

"_Emma? Emma! What are you doing?" Emmeline looked away from penetrating grey eyes and smiled weakly at Lily who was waving a delicate hand in her face._

"_Nothing. Nothing at all. And you?" Lily eyed her as she took a seat across from her._

"_Nothing, I guess. What have you been staring down the Gryffindor table for?" Emmeline flushed pink._

"_What? No I haven't!"_

"_You have!" Lily squealed. "It's a boy, isn't it? Who is it? Is it Marvin? Or Corman? Or Garrett or Alexander?" When Emmeline scrunched up her nose, Lily tapped her chin in thought._

"_Hmm. WAIT! It's not a… Marauder, is it? Oh my gosh it is!"_

_Stupid traitorous blush, Emmeline thought angrily._

"_Its not Remus… Wait." All of Lily's expression drained from her face leaving her looking blank and unemotional. Suddenly, emotions flittered across her face._

_Realization. Worry. Sadness. Hope._

"_It's Sirius." Lily said finally. Emmeline watched her face, curious at her reaction._

"_Why…?"_

"_Because, Emma." Lily said with a weak smile. "He's cold-hearted. His heart is made of stone… He hasn't dated a girl in his life. He doesn't date girls, he does them, if you know what I mean." Emmeline's cheeks roared with pink._

"_I know. Nothing's going to happen."_

_Lily looked at her in concern. "Do you want me to say anything… slip a word…"_

"_No." Emmeline said firmly. "I think I know what I'm going to do instead."_

_

* * *

_

_Emmeline Vance was on a date with Caradoc Dearborn. _

_She was a bit thrilled seeing as he was perfect for her family in every way- a respectable pureblood, handsome, rich, and with plenty of good connections. She was hoping that she would feel something for him by the end of the date._

_Overall, she was in a great mood. There was only one thing that was bothering her._

_Sirius hadn't stopped staring at her._

_Everywhere she went, his eyes would follow- in the Great Hall, in the hallways…_

_He had stopped coming to the library. Emmeline had felt a deep disappointment when he had failed to show up after a week._

_But now, on her date with the attractive Ravenclaw in front of her, she pushed those thoughts out of her head._

"_So, Emmeline, how is fifth year going for you?" Caradoc began, with a smile. She smiled back. They were both Ravenclaws, so they were bound to have something in common._

"_It's alright… busy, I'm sure you remember." Caradoc nodded, taking a sip of his butterbeer. They were at the Three Broomsticks, sitting together at a corner table far from the hustle and bustle of Hogwarts students moving to and fro._

"_Yes, it was rather tough…" He went on to discuss study methods he had used the previous year while Emmeline listened half-heartedly, her mind subconsciously drifting over to think about Sirius. She tried to pay attention to what was coming out of Caradoc's lips but found she couldn't._

_As if on cue, the Three Broomsticks door swung open and in marched Sirius Black, followed shortly by James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin, all who were laughing noisily at a joke. Sirius was the only one who looked serious (pardon the pun) and his steel eyes were darting around the shop frantically, looking for something._

_His eyes landed on Emmeline._

_Suddenly, he was dragged off to a table not too far from Emmeline's and was playfully pushed into his seat by Peter. Emmeline looked away from him, feeling his hot gaze. She attempted to listen to Caradoc, but she felt flustered._

_"…which is why I never tried out for the Quidditch- Emmeline? Is something wrong?" Caradoc's concerned face swam before her eyes and she blinked twice._

"_I-I'm fine, really. I think… maybe… we should reschedule. I'm so sorry." She couldn't do it. She couldn't pretend to enjoy this date with Sirius Black watching her merely a few feet away. She got up from her seat, sent an apologetic grimace in the stunned Caradoc's direction and power-walked out of the pub as fast as her long legs would take her. As she opened the door of the pub, she heard the noise of a chair being pushed back and heavy footsteps against the wood._

_Caradoc, she thought. _

_But a moment later, she felt a large warm hand grasp her forearm and whirl her around._

_Sirius._

"_Why would you go out with him?" Were the first words that fell out of his mouth. She blinked up at him, trying unsuccessfully to wiggle her arm out of his tight grip._

"_He's good for me." She tried sounding convincing, she really did. "He's good for my family."_

"_And do you do everything for your family?" Sirius asked coldly, dragging her into an empty alleyway behind the pub. "They don't control you."_

"_How do you know?" she shot back._

"_So you go out with him because your family wishes it. Would you have married me when they had wished that?" Sirius asked, some of his black hair falling into his eyes._

"_No." Emmeline responded instantly. "I never would have married you."_

"_And why not?" Sirius asked in a low voice, stepping forward._

"_Because I didn't like you, you dimwi-" her words were cut off by warm lips that crashed against hers. Sirius pulled away almost immediately._

"_And you like him? Caradoc Dearborn? Pompous good-for-nothing prat?" Sirius asked, his breath ragged. Emmeline stared at him through wide eyes._

"_Y-yes-" Sirius pressed his lips to hers again, this time gentler and softer. He pulled away with a cold laugh._

"_Don't lie to me, Emmeline. I know you don't. I can see it in your eyes. They aren't purple."_

"_W-what?" Emmeline asked, stunned._

"_Your eyes." He whispered against her lips, his arm curled around her waist. "They're purple when they're happy."_

_She could only stare at him in stunned shock as his lips brushed lightly against hers._

"_Why would you go out with him? Especially after I told you I liked you."_

"_You don't." she whispered back, melting into his embrace, her words and actions contrasting._

_Sirius chuckled, his lips moving to brush against her jaw. Emmeline shuddered in pleasure. "I do. I really really do." He trailed kisses along her neck, feeling her tremble beneath him. "Please." He whispered against her smooth skin. "Go out with me."_

_Emmeline's arms were moving to wrap around his neck, trying to hold herself up._

_How could she deny him, after _this_?_

_But she had to. What would her family say? They despised him. They would never allow her to have a relationship with him. But maybe… maybe she could convince them…_

_He drew his head back from where he had been nipping at her neck to stare down at her with his cold, seductive eyes. "Go out with me, Emma." He purred._

_She dragged his head back down and kissed him full on the mouth, smiling when she felt his lips curve up into an exultant grin._

_

* * *

_

"Lumos." The office was lit up as Emmeline cast her wand around. It was late, almost ten o'clock and Emmeline was set on retiring for the day. Careful to avoid looking at the walls of her cubicle, she lazily pulled one of the drawers open and took out the keys to her apartment. She bounced it in her palm a few times before hastily stuffing them into the pocket of her coat. Her hand moved to push the drawer back into place but stopped on a piece of paper, folded, that she had never seen before. Curiously and cautiously, she opened it to find his face staring back at her. Her mind blanked.

She had attempted to avoid his face at all costs, but really, how much could you avoid a mass murderer whose picture was on every newspaper and ever muggle newspaper in England? She was used to this face, but yet… she wasn't.

His face was paler than usual, gaunt and his cheeks were hollow. His black hair was longer, coming past his chin and brushing at his shoulders, and his eyes. Oh, his eyes.

They were empty. Cold. Emotionless. Almost shadows of their former selves. It was his eyes that made Emmeline most frightened.

She watched as he growled at the camera, trying to escape from the grasps and chains of whatever was holding him back. He stared at her through the picture, looking angrier than ever.

Emmeline refolded the paper tenderly, hesitated, and then stuffed it into her pocket as well. Another small sheet of paper had been hidden beneath the picture. Emmeline lifted it up and her lips parted in an 'O'.

**The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.**

Staring down at the scrap of paper and the words written in Dumbledore's handwriting, Emmeline felt nervous.

She was a part of this society now, just as she had been so many years back. She should have been there for the first meeting.

With determination, she stuffed the small sheet back into her pocket with the picture and keys and Apparated out of her office.

After all, _he _had probably left by now.

* * *

_"I don't want to do this anymore."_

_Emmeline pulled away from Sirius, her dark brow raised. "Are you breaking up with me?"_

_Sirius chuckled as he dragged his face away from her neck. "Never."_

_Emmeline's heart fluttered. Even after a year of dating, she still wasn't used to his words of ardor that he sprung upon her at times._

_Sirius grasped her hand in his large one and she reveled at how small and fragile hers looked when he completely enveloped it with his. "I just want to know when we'll be real."_

_Her brows furrowed. "Sirius, we _are_ real."_

_Sirius ran a hand through his hair in agitation, a trait he had picked up from his best mate. "You know that's not what I meant. I'm talking about dating publicly." He took a deep breath and Emma unwound her arms from around his neck. He looked as though he had rehearsed his speech many times._

_"When will people see us together? When can we walk through the halls holding hands? When can I claim you as mine?" his voice grew throaty at the end, his eyes musky._

_Emmeline frowned. She didn't have an answer for him._

_They were sitting at the back of the library, closest to the Restriction section, where no one came. It was their daily meet up spot and lately, Emmeline knew that Sirius had begun to tire of their routine._

_She crossed her ankles around his legs and pulled him a bit closer, so that he stumbled. His clear gray eyes came up to meet hers._

_"Hey." She murmured, running a hand over the smoothness of his cheek and the defined bone. "I'm yours. Isn't the knowledge enough for you?"_

_Sirius sighed, leaning into her frame for comfort. "I thought it was, but now I'm not so sure. Why is it so hard?"_

_Emmeline shook her head. "You're only making it hard. We were fine, we _are_ fine." She brushed his silky black hair from his eyes._

_"I don't know, Emma. This is too much for me… no, let me rephrase that. Too little." Emmeline cringed away from him._

_"How is it too little? I've given you everything; my heart, my soul… my body." She blushed but her gaze remained firm. "What else could you possibly want?"_

_Sirius brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. "Emma. I know. But there's so much more. I want for us to be seen."_

_"So you can court me around like a prized pony; your arm candy." She accused bitingly, flinching away from his touch._

_"No!" Sirius grasped at his hair. "That's not it! I just don't want to keep running around, acting as though this- what we have- is a mistake! It's not! You don't think so, right?" He searched her sapphire eyes and breathed in relief when she shook her head slowly._

_"But,_ they_ do."_

_Immediately, Sirius went rigid against her legs, his face stone-like. "Of course." He sneered. "Them."_

_Emmeline knew that Sirius had a problem with her being so weak against her family's will. But they were all she had. Even if they despised her, didn't care for her…_

_"Emma, why do you do this? Just live your life. You can't let them control you."_

_But Emmeline's eyes had shut off. "Sirius, this discussion is over."_

_His handsome face looked aggrieved. "But-"_

_"No. If you're going to break up with me-" there was a slight tremor in her voice and she pushed it back, "then you can do it now."_

_Sirius stared at her for the longest moment. Her pale face, her achingly beautiful blue eyes, her chocolate curls that fell just past her chin, brushing her shoulders, and her strawberry lips; they were pursed into a thin, firm line._

_He ducked his head with a sigh. "No, Emmeline. Never."_

_His lips met hers again, and she returned his kiss, but she knew that this discussion was far from over._

_

* * *

_

Grimmauld place was dark, shabby, and damp, smelling of rotting wood and dust. Emmeline's nose wrinkled as Molly Weasley let her in, a bright smile upon her kind face. Emmeline gave a meek one in return.

"It's great to see you, dear." Molly said happily, speaking in a hushed voice as she ushered Emmeline away from the entrance hall. Emmeline fought the urge to cough up some dust that seemed to have found it's way into her system. "Nymphadora told us you wouldn't be coming!"

"Change of plans." Emmeline said, looking around at the people that were gathered around a wooden table in the dining room. Looking at them, their heads bent together, discussing, Emmeline suddenly felt nostalgic. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing, we were just talking about that poor Diggory boy and Harry's claim. It seems as though some of us here are skeptical over his return." Her disapproving gaze lingered on Dedalus Diggle, who was nervously fixing his top hat repeatedly and Emmeline shook her head.

"I know he's telling the truth. It's been a long time coming." Molly nodded absentmindedly.

Emmeline saw Mad-Eye Moody fixing his eye and she inwardly grinned. It had been a while since she saw that familiar gnarled face. He had been Head Auror when she was just starting her training. Kingsley was sitting beside him, his face a picture of serenity and concentration. Elphias Dodge let out a wheeze nearby and Sturgis Podmore ran a hand over his square jaw in exhaustion. Bill Weasley and Arthur Weasley sat together, discussing fervently.

"You did miss Severus Snape, though." Molly told her. "He was here, but he never stays for dinner." Emmeline shrugged. Her feelings towards Snape were of utter indifference.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll whip up some stew?" Right on cue, Emmeline's stomach let out a colossal growl and she blushed pink as Molly chuckled.

"I'll take that as a hint. You've grown so frail." She patted Emmeline's skinny arm as she passed and Emmeline was left standing in the doorway, alone and awkward. She wondered if she should join in the conversation going on.

An excited Tonks, coming out from a door behind her that Emmeline had just noticed, saved her from her dilemma. Tonks' eyes widened once she was Emmeline.

"Emmeline!" She squealed. "You're here! Now you can meet him!"

"Meet who, sorry?" Emmeline asked, not quite registering what was going on with the squealing and the tiredness of her mind.

"_Sirius!_ He's here!"

Emmeline froze.

Time stopped.

…

…

…

He… was… _WHAT?_

She stumbled back once, her brain whirring into action. "H-he-"

"He lives here, apparently. He owns this house, or whatever it is. It's gonna be hard to miss a meeting when you live in the damn meeting place." Tonks snorted.

Emmeline gaped at the younger woman.

Every meeting. He'd be here for every meeting.

Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest. She had to tell Molly not to bother with the stew. She had to tell everyone that she would be there for the next meeting, on time, and ready. Most of all, she had to leave. _Now._

"I-I have to go…"

"No don't leave yet," Tonks started in disappointment. "He'll be out in just a second."

Emmeline swallowed convulsively. _She had to get out of here._

She turned away from the doorway of the hall, exactly when the door that Tonks had just exited from swung open. It crashed against her face and sent her sprawling onto the rug with a short cry of pain and surprise. All conversation stopped, all eyes focused on the fallen woman, resting on her backside, gaping up at the person who had just emerged from within the room.

In the back of her mind, Emmeline thought of the irony of the situation; they would meet again with her sprawled on the floor and him standing above her. Except, this time, she doubted he would offer her a hand.

He was tall, very tall with shoulder length hair of ebony and the coldest eyes anyone had ever seen. He was very handsome, almost too handsome, even as a skeletal, pale being. Clutching his arm was a rosy-cheeked, black-haired girl. He was staring down at Emmeline like he had just seen a ghost, his ghaunt face draining of color and his eyes wide. For a second, his stoic expression faltered.

"Emma?"

* * *

And that, my friends, is a cliffhanger. Reviewers get to have secret snogs in the back of the Hogwarts library with Sirius!


	4. The One You Loved Is Dead

A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Fury074, RhiannonAmidala, and Bri (You'll see in this chapter! Thank you- and that's EXACTLY what I'm going for here when it comes to opposite traits).

Please review with your thoughts, guys! It would make my world :)

Cheers!

* * *

**Forget Me… Or Not**

_By: Shay_

Chapter 4: The One You Loved Is Dead

* * *

_An almost nonexistent breeze blew through the excitedly ruffled crowd, making a few students turn their heads in the direction of the Great Hall's doors. Their captured interest was short-lived; they turned back to the front, their expressions gleeful and exhilarated. Some fiddled with their robes, others sat with stoic stiffness, listening to the droning voice of the Ministry official who was conducting their graduation ceremony._

_Emmeline sat in the third row on the guest's side, wearing a purple silk dress and diamond chandelier earrings, a gift from her wonderful boyfriend who was graduating. Her grin almost split her face into two as her eyes stayed focused on the dark haired figure a few rows in front of her, sitting with a sandy-haired, blonde, and an untidy haired man, all of them wearing identical grins of wonder. Occasionally, the messy haired man, who was seated on the very left, would turn and grin at the petite redhead seated next to him. She smiled back beautifully and Emmeline grinned. Lily and James were so in love._

_Emmeline watched from her seat with the other students and friends of the graduating class and clapped with everyone as each of them received their magical diplomas. The crowd roared when the Marauders strode forward to receive their graduating parchments. Emmeline whooped and cheered, laughing, as people stomped their feet in support for the Marauders. Emmeline cheered wildly with everyone else as Sirius swaggered forward to receive his graduation scroll. As his hands wrapped around the paper, his eyes swiveled to the crowd of people watching him and they flickered, stopping for a moment on Emmeline's form. Her heart stuttered. _

_His face was completely relaxed, his smile just fading from his face but not from his eyes, his lips parted. As soon as their eyes connected, however, his smile brightened, his eyes, even from a distance, exploding with hues of steel and navy. She fluttered her lashes and she could feel her cheeks turning strawberry pink. A coy smile slid onto her lips and she raised her hand to wave. He pursed his lips to hold back his smile, turning away from her, accepting his scroll, and left the stage quickly. She smiled to herself._

_James, Head Boy, received his special award and so did Lily, as she was Head Girl. The golden couple left the stage together, James peering down at Lily as though she were the only one in the room._

_As soon as all the names were called and all the students were sent to socialize with their families, Emmeline eagerly emerged from her seat, excited to get a kiss from her newly graduated boyfriend. Soon, I'll be part of my own graduating class, she thought happily._

_She could see Remus and his parents talking a distance away and Peter leading his fragile-looking mother to a chair. James was with his family and Lily was standing nearby looking a bit awkward and out of place. As Emmeline went to go collect her, James appeared before the redhead with a wide, handsome grin and pulled her off to meet his parents. She blushed the whole way and turned red when James tucked her under his arm and proudly displayed her to Mrs. Dorea and Charlus Potter who eagerly greeted the girl, gushing excitedly. Before Emmeline could watch more of the joyous scene before her, she felt a large hand curl around her elbow and drag her into a darker corner of the Great Hall, somewhere where people weren't watching. She turned to greet her boyfriend, her eyes glittering purple with joy._

"_Congratulations!" she practically squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and closing her eyes as he lifted her off the ground. She could feel him grin into her neck as he buried his face into it, rocking her side to side._

"_Thanks, Emma," he said, lifting his head and placing a soft kiss on her pink lips, "this is, honestly, one of my happier days."_

"_Well, that's good to hear," Emma assured, tucking some of his silky hair beneath his ear and smiling up at him brightly, "what are your plans for the evening?"_

"_Graduation party, of course," Sirius said excitedly. "You'll be coming, right?"_

"_Wouldn't miss it," Emma agreed. He bent down for another kiss but a flash of navy blue caught Emmeline's eye and she turned, distracted. She stiffened in his arms._

_Standing not too far away, clutching a hat, a coat draped over his arm, watching them with shrewd eyes, was Emilio Meadowes. Dorcas' father. Emmeline's father's best friend and business partner._

_Emmeline gasped wildly. Her mind whirred with shock, confusion and fear; she had two choices. She could easily extract herself from Sirius and mock-slap him, saving the both of them from whatever punishment awaited them. She could also duck so that it would look like a hug, faking friendship. She didn't consider a third choice._

_Apparently, Sirius did._

"_Stop, Em," he murmured. His head was still bent towards hers. She didn't look away from the frightening sight that was Mr. Emilio Meadowes, but she trembled shortly in confusion and desperation, her arm still wrapped around Sirius' neck, holding herself up. "Em, don't do it. Forget him. He's not important. It's us that matters. Us, Emma. Us." Emmeline's legs shook in anxiety as she digested Sirius' words. He knew. Sirius knew. He knew that her father's best friend, who was likely to tell her father everything, was standing a few feet away and watching them embrace._

"_Why does he matter? Your family doesn't control your decisions or choices, Emma. Don't fear them." Emmeline swallowed some bile that had risen in her throat. Her eyes never strayed from Emilio Meadowes' who was looking more frightening by the second._

"_Emma, I love you."_

_Emmeline's trembling stopped, shock coursed through her body and she froze in her boyfriend's arms. They had never said love. She had never told him, he had never told her. The word just hadn't come up. She turned her head to face his, finally breaking contact with Mr. Emilio's eyes._

"_I love you, Emma. Do you hear? I love you," he whispered desperately, staring down at her, his eyes wide and frenzied. "I love you."_

_Emmeline's expression was carefully controlled as she stared up at him, knowing that Emilio Meadowes was watching a few feet away, knowing that one wrong move could send the both of them into deep trouble. She blinked softly, examining Sirius' devastatingly handsome face, his cold eyes, and his brows, which were wrinkled._

_He loved her._

_Did her parent's opinion matter? They were never around to love her. She doubted they knew anything about her. Did it really matter what they thought, what they wanted her to do? Maybe she could convince them that it would be all right. Sirius loved her so it would be all right. All that mattered right now was Sirius. All that Emmeline wanted to do was make that little wrinkle of worry disappear from Sirius' otherwise flawless appearance._

_Slowly, her lips turned up at the corners and she blinked dazedly up at her lover. Sirius' head moved closer and closer as soon as he saw her smile. His face became blurry in her view as his nose stopped merely an inch from hers. He hesitated, his sweet breath fanning over her face, awakening her senses and sending her heart beating erratically. Something was wrong, she thought. Something needed to be said. In the back of her addled mind, she realized what words she was supposed to say._

"_I love you too," she said clearly, the words falling from her lips, finally, finally, FINALLY. A wide grin took over his face as his eyes sparkled. He released the softest of short, surprised laughs, before closing the distance between them, wrapping her up tighter in his strong arms._

_And she let him._

_

* * *

_

_June 28, 1995; Dinner with the Order, Tour of Grimmauld Place, and Some 'Siriusly' Awkward Moments._

Hestia Jones was pretty.

She enjoyed raspberry tea, worked as a herbologist for the Ministry, and had many, many friends. She loved to eat in small, delicately portioned amounts, was a mummy's girl, and dressed impeccably well. She was a mere twenty-five years old, believed that Lord Voldemort was back, and was risking her whole future to join the Order.

But all Emmeline could think about was the fact that Hestia Jones was _pretty_.

She had soft-looking ebony hair that tumbled past her shoulders in slight waves and beautifully rosy cheeks that flushed for simply no reason at all. Her nose was turned upwards and pretty and her lips were round and always parted in a smile. Her brown eyes were never dull and her petite frame gave others the impression of someone who needed to be constantly protected and loved.

Not only was she interesting, pretty, and young, she was also kind. After Emmeline had fallen on her bum, rather embarrassingly, she had offered a hand to help her out which Emmeline had accepted gratefully. (She had been right- _he_ hadn't even _offered_ to help her out.)

So Emmeline was left to despise nothing as she watched Hestia play with Sirius' coat sleeve, the two of them sharing occasional sly glances and grins. Emmeline huffed into her cup of tea, thoroughly annoyed with herself for coming to the meeting in the first place. Sirius seemed to have recovered from his slip up of her nickname and was now determinedly ignoring Emmeline. It hurt Emmeline more than she could have imagined and she was left to stare bitterly into her cup.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Arthur had questioned as soon as Emmeline had gotten up from her fall and Sirius had moved past her, barely acknowledging her existence.

"Oh you know," Sirius began, cutting across Emmeline as she opened her mouth to let loose some pathetic excuse. Her mouth snapped shut and she blinked a few times. It had been too long since she had heard that familiar velvet and honey voice, "I used to see her around the halls of Hogwarts…the, uh, _library _and such." His eyes glittered spitefully and a cold smirk tugged at his lips as he met her eyes shortly. Her cheeks pooled with pink. He was very obviously referring to their secret escapades in that familiar back corner of the library. "She was friends with… Lily, as well," he continued solemnly, suddenly serious.

Everyone bowed their heads shortly, in respect and in memory, and Emmeline did the same, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she felt Sirius' eyes flicker to her bowed head for a moment.

After a moment, they all rose and chatter resumed, mostly something that Emmeline mentally labeled as 'Sirius Interrogating.' Tonks, who was grinning happily, glad that Emmeline had gotten to meet the infamous prisoner, and sitting to Emmeline's left, asked many of the questions.

"How were your school days, Sirius? I heard you and James were quite the mischievous pair. And then there's Remus…" she joked and everyone laughed a bit, because it was probably true. "I'm just joking. I don't know much about Remus, really," Tonks said after she had stopped giggling.

Sirius laughed the hardest. Emmeline had to drag her eyes away from the sight; it was unnerving, watching his eyes light up under the dim lights of Grimmauld Place. "You're spot on, though. He was always better behaved than the rest of us. He _was_ a prefect, after all." Emmeline didn't say anything, though she yearned to. She nodded once and kept quiet, never meeting her ex-lover's eyes, or anyone else's for that matter.

Emmeline cleared her throat. Everyone's head jerked towards her except for Sirius whose placid expression twitched for an instant. "They…called themselves the Marauders, if I remember correctly," Emmeline said, the slightest reminiscent quality taking over her tone. The others laughed and some nodded in recognition. Molly watched her carefully, her brown eyes soft and understanding. Sirius ignored her completely.

"James, Remus, and I…and…Peter…" he added reluctantly, "- we were closer than close. We ruled Hogwarts." His tone turned bitter. "We never let anyone else's opinions influence us. To me, that's just disgusting and pathetic."

Emmeline swallowed roughly. He didn't turn to look at her or observe her reaction, but she knew the statement was none too subtly directed towards her.

"Were you a heartbreaker in your days, Sirius?" Hestia asked eagerly. One of her hands repeatedly smoothed out a crinkle upon his left arm sleeve. Emmeline stared at it in annoyance. Sirius grinned.

"Possibly," he agreed, his teeth glinting with untold secrets, sending Hestia a short wink. She giggled. Emmeline inwardly retched.

_I think I just threw up in my mouth,_ she thought as she watched Sirius playfully muss up Hestia's flawless dark locks.

The wizards begged for details on his younger days. "Oh, come on. Tell us! Tell us what you look for in a girl," Tonks urged. Hestia batted her lashes up at him and Emmeline felt sick. She felt as though a stone of grief had dropped into her stomach. Her eye twitched.

"Well," Sirius drawled, "I like a person who is down-to-earth…real…understands me, you know?" When the wizards nodded, he continued. "But there's one thing I just can't stand. There's nothing as unattractive as people who let others make their choices for them. I could never be with someone like that." Emmeline felt her clammy palms tremble as he met her eyes a cruel glint in the depths of gray.

"Well, I think that goes for all of us," Tonks agreed, looking around at the table of Order members. "Who wants a pansy for a date, anyway?"

Sirius' good-natured grin returned as his eyes flickered to Tonks. "Exactly."

Emmeline felt a rush of nauseating sickness as her mind registered what had just taken place. Luckily, Molly, who had been watching her closely for the past few minutes, took this opportunity to stand up and greet the girl with a smile.

"Emma, darling. How would you like to see the Order meeting room?" Emmeline almost tripped over her feet in her haste to get up, pushing herself out of her seat and standing beside the stout Molly Weasley, a private but thankful glint in her eyes.

"Oh yes, that would be nice. Thank you," she said quietly, following the redheaded woman to the door Sirius had come from. She felt his eyes on her back. _Like always._

Molly opened the door in a swift movement, moving into the room, allowing Emmeline to follow behind.

It was a normal room with a long, rectangular table taking up most of the area. Chairs littered the sides, strewn across the ground, obviously thrown around in the haste of the sitters to get up. Emmeline smiled; this was exactly what her old pureblood dining room would have looked like if it hadn't been for the fact that this one was obviously in terrible condition and was dustier than Emmeline's old school book collection.

"What is this place, anyway?" Emmeline asked curiously, edging closer to the table corner nearest to her and running her finger across the surface, grimacing as it picked up a fair amount of dust upon the tip of her index finger.

"Erm…" The pause made Emmeline turn back around to face Molly who looked nervous. "Didn't you hear Nymphadora, honey? It's Sirius' old house." Emmeline's eyes widened. No wonder. The place reeked of pureblood aura. The whole place was dark and Slytherin-like. She briefly wondered what Sirius' bedroom might look like before she blushed at the implications. She cursed herself for blushing.

"Oh… Is this where we're having every meeting, then?"

"Oh, yes. Sirius has graciously offered the place to us. It's very convenient, really." OF course he did. Sirius had always been full of good intent.

"That's…good," Emmeline said, unsure of what to say. She cleared her throat. "I really think I best be leaving, Molly."

Molly's face fell. "So soon? I was about to heat up the marmalade tart. Are you sure you don't want some dessert before you go?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Emmeline confirmed, though her stomach growled inwardly at the thought of a bite of sweet marmalade tart. She hadn't tasted a decent marmalade tart since her Hogwarts days.

"Ok…" Molly conceded, though she still appeared unsure. "I'll show you out."

They walked to the main door, passing the Order; Emmeline didn't regret entering the dining room to say good-bye. She rushed to the door and flung it open, turning to thank Molly for her hospitality and set off on her way. Molly was watching her carefully.

"I hope you'll be back soon, Emmeline," Molly said, her sad smile surprisingly knowing. "I hope your relationships with your fellow members won't affect your attendance and participation…"

Emmeline inhaled sharply. _She knew._

"I'll be here," she confirmed, her brows furrowed in confusion. How could she possibly know? Nobody had known about them. Nobody…except for James…Lily…and-

"Good." Molly smiled and turned away, about to shut the door. "Goodnight, Emma."

"Night."

As Emmeline Apparated home, she pondered over the drastic turn her life had taken. She was in for a hell of a time.

* * *

_She knocked on the door, fiddling with her fingers nervously and biting her supple lip. It was only when the smooth, soothing voice was heard from within, giving her permission to enter, did she allow her brows to smoothen out and her anxious expression to fade as she pressed down on the door handle and entered Professor Dumbledore's office._

_It wasn't the first time she had been in the familiar round room. She had once entered this same room, just as nervous, to find herself being congratulated, with a group of other sixth year students (mostly Ravenclaw), on getting outstanding marks on her O.W.L.S. But it was mid-November and N.E.W.T.S. were long gone. So why was she here?_

_Dumbledore sat at his desk, his hands placed in front of him, smiling as always; the twinkle was barely there, she noticed. He smiled tiredly when she entered and gestured for her to join a group of students who were standing off to the side looking just as nervous as she felt and probably appeared to be._

"_Good evening, Emmeline. Why don't you join your peers for now while we wait on our guests to make their appearances." He smiled and Emmeline smiled back, worried._

"_Emma!" Her head whirled around and she smiled in relief when she saw Dorcas standing in the midst of the crowd. She began pushing her way to the front._

"_Why are we here?" Emmeline asked in an undertone, joining her and the other students. She briefly noticed that there wasn't a single Slytherin to be found._

"_I don't know. Rory mentioned something about recruiting. What do you think?" Emmeline shook her head in confusion and her gaze moved to her brunette friend standing a few people away. Rory waved back at her._

"_How does she know?" Emmeline asked in a hushed whisper._

"_Her cousin is Benjy Fenwick," Dorcas said in a whisper. A blush lit up her fair cheeks. It was known that she was crushing on the handsome Ravenclaw two years senior to them. "He knows everything."_

"_That he does," Emmeline agreed. She looked about the room, examining the odd trinkets upon the walls and the portraits that were either snoozing in their seats or shrewdly examining their office occupants. Her gaze flickered across a mirror and paused there._

_She knew she was pretty. People often told her that she was and Sirius made it a rule for her to never think otherwise. She was told she was beautiful, stunning even, but she didn't see that. She was pretty though; you had to be at least a little bit pretty if you came from the Vance family. Her ebony hair was tied back into an immaculate ponytail and her sapphire eyes glimmered with curiosity. Her pink lips were pouted in a frown and a soft red blush grazed her cheekbones. She was seventeen and off to face the world in a few short months. She could see her eyes hardened by the prospect, darker and fiercer than usual. She looked away from her reflection._

_It had been a month since she'd last seen Sirius. He had visited her at Hogsmeade in October and was now doing his best to find a job. She briefly wondered if the world loved to separate her from the ones she loved._

_The fireplace behind Dumbledore flared to life and from the flames sprung the one and only Benjy Fenwick. He fell out of the flames in an uncoordinated tumble and straightened himself, blushing, when he heard the laughs of the office's occupants. "Sorry I'm late, Sir."_

"_You're just on time," Dumbledore said warmly, gesturing to one of the many chairs that lay on the office floor. "Please take a seat."_

_Benjy moved to the chair and sat down, turning once to grin at Rory before his gaze moved to Dorcas and paused there. A soft grin lifted the corner of his mouth as he watched her blush and mouth a greeting at him. He returned it before turning back to the front, his smile still in place._

_Benjy wasn't the only one to make a surprise appearance. He was shortly followed by Remus, Peter, Marlene, James, Lily (who came to greet Emma and Dorcas with squeals and warm hugs), Fabian, Gideon, Alice and Frank Longbottom and many more. Andromeda and Ted Tonks were also standing in the crowd, looking nervous but determined. Emmeline smiled at them and they returned it. Andromeda was, after all, Sirius' cousin, and she had met the woman at many pureblood functions and other things of that sort._

_It was rather late and the meeting was just about to begin when the flames exploded once again. From the green flickering fire rose a tall figure. He stumbled out, somehow managing to look graceful while doing so, and gave a rather breathless smile to everyone. "I'm here, the party can begin." Murmured chuckled followed his statement and Emmeline beamed. Her boyfriend was here._

"_Siri," she murmured as he spotted her and grinned, making his way towards her, his smile widening with each step. He gathered her in his arms, kissing every inch of her face as she laughed and tucking her into his chest. He buried his head in her hair._

"_I've missed you," he told her softly, twirling a curl of dark brown hair in his finger. She grinned._

"_Me too. Do you…do you know what's going on?" she asked curiously once they had parted and moved to the side to stand next to each other._

"_No idea," Sirius replied, looking frazzled and distracted as his eye darted around the office. "Damn, where's James…?"_

"_Over there-" Emmeline pointed to a tall man with a head of messy hair and Sirius swore in thankfulness, moving to whisper something to his best mate. James listened before nodding once and turning back around. Sirius returned to Emmeline's side, looking much less preoccupied. She cocked a brow._

"_Going to tell me what that was about?" she questioned._

"_It's nothing. We had a little difficulty getting here. Had to use the bike…"_

"_Oh, _Circe_." The bike was the only thing that Sirius was as infatuated with as he was with Emma. It was an old, rather antique looking muggle motorbike that Sirius had purchased sometime after his sixth year and had been tending to since then. It was in perfect working condition now, or so he claimed. Emmeline still had her doubts. "You didn't fly it here, did you?"_

_Sirius looked affronted. "Certainly not! I rode through the streets of London like a pro. I think I deserve a trophy of some sort. Maybe a kiss…" a mischievous glint in his eyes replaced his arrogant one and he moved his hand to Emmeline's small waist, attempting to bring her closer. She slapped it off completely._

"_Not now, he's starting," she muttered, attempting to sound stern as Sirius kissed her neck. A giggle erupted from within her, unwillingly, and Sirius moved away, satisfied._

"_We are gathered here today," Dumbledore began and Emmeline was strongly reminded of a funeral speech, "to discuss the rising darkness. You have, of course, heard about the one who calls himself Lord Voldemort." Nods and nervous murmurs gave their assent to his statement and Dumbledore continued. "He is larger than ever and set on destroying our world as we know it. We are being consumed by evil, be darkness. It is our job, as the able wizards of Britain, to put an end to this. And that is why I have called you here today. We are here to recruit members to join a group, a movement against the Dark Lord. And Order, if you must."_

"_How?" Everyone turned to look at Gideon Prewett, who had risen from his seat and was squinting at Dumbledore in confusion. "How can we accomplish this?"_

_Dumbledore looked impossibly grave. "We shall work to gather as much information on Voldemort as possible and attempt to strike his weak points. We have much work, but with perseverance and the strength of the phoenix, I believe we can all accomplish what we must do. Please, make your decisions and inform me at a date no sooner than December 10__th__."_

_Their discussion continued and questions asked. Emmeline was feeling more nervous by the second; she kept looking up at Sirius' stoic expression, attempting to read his nonexistent emotions._

"_What shall we call it?" James asked, one of the last questions, as it was nearing the end of the night. People fidgeted in their seats as Dumbledore smiled._

"_An excellent question, James. I believe…the Order of the Phoenix sounds worthy, doesn't it?"_

_The Order of the Phoenix._

_It was the perfect name and Emmeline knew that she wasn't the only one with the thought as the other wizards and witches around her smiled to themselves at the fitting title._

_It would be hard. It would be tough. It would cause blood, tears, and difficulties._

_She felt a warm hand slip into hers._

But it would be ok,_ she thought, gripping Sirius' hand tighter in hers. _

_They would be fine._

* * *

Sorry for the wait. Review and I'll post a chapter soon! Cheers to everyone.


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